Slidable closure for tubes and other containers



Aug. 24, 1937. K. RUETZ SLIDABLE CLOSURE FOR TUBES AND OTHER CONTAINERSFiled Sept. 14, 19 36 1 J 1 a v INVENTON KARL RUETZ By 7% 9 ATTORNEYSPatented Aug. 24, 1937 SLIDABLE CLOSURE FOR TUBES AND OTHER CONTAINERSKarl Ruetz, Zurich, Switzerland Application September 14, 1936, SerialNo. 100,750 In Switzerland May 6, 1936 7 Claims.

Closing devices for tubes are known in which instead of the usual screwstopper there is used a slide which carries the packing member, forexample a cork plate, which is pressed by spring pressure on to the edgeof the opening of the tube. On the movement of the slide, in order toprevent the packing member from being damaged by friction on the edge ofthe opening of the tube, forms of construction have been produced 10 inwhich the packing member is raised from the opening of the tube duringthe opening movement.

When such closing devices are of small dimensions, considerabledifliculty is experienced in obtaining a form of construction which willmeet all requirements and in particular will exert a reliable closingpressure on the opening of the tube, so long as this closing pressure isdependent exclusively on the spring force of the closing member.

The subject of the invention is a slidable closure for tubes and othercontainers in which this difficulty is overcome by the arrangement of awedge device, carrying the packing member, be-

tween the outlet of the container and the slide to be actuated, thiswedge member being controlled by the slide and, in the closed position,pressed thereby against the opening of the container, but, on theinitiation of the opening movement of the slide, it is raised therefromin order to prevent any friction between the packing plate and the edgeof the opening of the container.

By the combination of the wedge closure device with the lifting of thepacking member, maximum protection is afforded to the packing materialand also satisfactory functioning of the closing device is insured.

One form of construction of the invention is shown diagrammatically inthe annexed drawc.

In the drawing:--

Fig. 1 shows the upper part of a tube in front elevation, and alongitudinal section of the slide when open.

Fig. 2 shows the same form of construction with the slide in theposition shortly before the end of the closing movement.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the slide seen in the direction indicated bythe arrow in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 shows the slide when closed.

Fig. 5 is a view of the slide seen in the direction opposite to thatindicated by the arrow in Fig. 2.

In Fig. 1, I denotes the upper part, and 2 the 55 head of a container,for example a tube, adapted to be closed by the slidable closure. Thehead 2 of the container is of prismatic form and is provided on both itslongitudinal sides with grooves I 0 and also with a recess 30 the loweredge 3| of which extends into recesses 31' and 3|".

The movable part of the closing device consists of a slide housing 5 anda wedge-shaped member 6, I the front part of which is in the form of awedge device I carrying a packing member l2, while the rear part has onthe one hand a vertical end hook 1" which is anchored in a transverseslot 5' of the slide housing, and on the other hand a vertical end-hook6' which is bent upwards and engages in a recess 5" on the cover of theslide housing 5. The sides of the slide housing are bent inwards andform guide bars 0 which are guided in grooves In in the head 2 of thecontainer. The front part I of the member 6, I is provided on both sideswith guide plates 32 which are movable in the recesses 30 in the head ofthe tube.

The mode of operation of the closing device is as follows:

If the slide is in the open position shown in Fig. l, the wedge member6, I with the packing member I2 is supported by means of the guideplates 32 on both sides, in the deepened portions 3|" of the recesses30. The end hook 'l" of the member 6, I is anchored in the transverseslot 5 of the slide housing 5. When, by the movement of the slide in thedirection indicated by the arrow (to the left) the closing movement isinitiated, then the guide plates 32, following the oblique lines of therecesses, are raised from the recesses 3|" to such an extent that theycontinue to slide on the horizontal part of the edge 3|, whereby thefront part of the member 8, l with the packing plate I2 is raised. Atthe same time an increased spring tension is produced in the member 6,l, in that the end hook 'I", running on the oblique surface I of thecontainer, is pressed upwardly. The spring tension reaches its maximumshortly after the slide has arrived in the position shown in Fig. 2, i.e. shortly before reaching the closed position. When the slide is movedfurther to the left beyond the position shown in Fig. 2, then, under theinfiuence of spring pressure, the guide plates 32 slide into therecesses 3| and the packing member I2 is pressed on to the opening ofthe container, while the slide 5, after the end hook I" has been forcedout of the slot 5, can be moved further without the member 6, I beingcarried along, until it bears with its oblique surface 5" (Figs. 1 and2) against the surface of the wedgeof the slide cover on the wedgemember I (which at first does not participate in the movement of theslide) ceases. As soon as the slide seizes the hook 6' of the members 6,'I sliding in the recess 5" in the cover of the slide, the hook 6' isdisplaced whereby the guide plates 32, following the oblique surfaces ofthe recesses 3|, are raised, whereby the packing member I! is lifted outof the opening of the container. Then the plates 32 continue to slide onthe horizontal part of the edges 3| until, under the influence of springpressure, they again arrive in the recesses 3i" and therefore into theposition which they assume when the slide is in the open position.

The co-operation of the slide cover with the wedge-shaped member 1'makes the reliable functioning of the closing device largely independentof the spring force of the member 6, 1,

an eventual state of fatigue of this member being balanced by theclosing pressure of the slide.

Instead of the member 6, I being made flexible, it can be madecompletely rigid and in its place the cover of the slide made flexiblein such manner that, at least when the slide is in certain positions, itexerts a flexible pressure on the intermediate member 6, 1.

As may be seen from Fig. 4, the transverse edge of the wedge member I onthe one hand and the oblique surface 5 in the cover of the slide housing5, which acts on the wedge member I, are of such dimensions that whenthe slide is closed, an unbroken surface with a continuous curve isobtained; similarly, when the 40, closure is in the closed position, thesharp end edge of the wedge member I engages with the corresponding edgeof the head of the container. The knife-like design of the end of thewedge member I ensures a smooth movement over the polished surfaceduring the closing movement.

The slide ll may be made of metal or of an artificial material.

Having thus described the nature of the said invention and the bestmeans I know of carrying the same into practical effect, I claim:-

1. A slidable closure for a container, comprising a slide, a wedgedevice located between the slide and the outlet aperture of thecontainer, a packing member carried by the wedge device, and controllingmeans for said wedge device operative by the slide when moved into itsclosed position to press the packing member against the edge of theaperture in the container and to raise it therefrom at the commencementof the opening movement of the slide.

2. A slidable closure for a container, comprising a slide provided witha housing, a wedge device located between the slide housing and theoutlet aperture of the container, a packing member carried by the wedgedevice, and controlling means for said wedge device operative by theslide when in its closed position to press the packing member againstthe edge of the aperture in the container and to raise it therefrom atthe commencement of the opening movement of the slide.

3. A slidable closure for a container, comprising a slide, a wedgedevice located between the slide and the outlet aperture of thecontainer, a flexible packing member carried by the wedge device, andmeans for operating the wedge device. when the slide is moved intoclosed position tr. press the packing member against the edge of theaperture in the container and to raise the packing member therefrom atthe commencement of the opening movement of the slide.

4. A slidable closure for a container, comprising a slide, a wedgedevice located between the slide and the outlet aperture of thecontainer and embodying a leaf spring one end of which is located toabut against the slide, a packing member carried by the other end of theleaf spring, and means operative by the slide when moved into its closedposition to press said packing against the edge of the aperture in thecontainer, the abutting of the leaf spring against the slide at thecommencement of the opening movement thereof raising the packing memberfrom the edge of the aperture in the container.

5. A slidable closure for a container, comprising a slide provided witha transverse slot, a wedge device located between the slide and theoutlet aperture of the container and having a downwardly bent hook toenter the slot in the slide, for movement thereby, a packing membercarried by the wedge device, means cooperative with the hook on thewedge member when the slide is moved into closed position to press thepacking member against the edge of the aperture in the container, andmeans operative at the commencement of the opening movement of the slidefor raising the packing member from the edge of the aperture in thecontainer.

6. The combination of a container having recesses at opposite sidesthereof, and a closure comprising a slide provided with guide platesoperable in said recesses, a wedge device located between the slide andthe outlet aperture of the container, a packing member carried by thewedge device, means operative upon the wedge device when the slide ismoved into closed position to press the packing member against the edgeof the aperture in the container, and means operative upon the wedgemember at the commencement of the opening movement of the slide to raisethe packing member from the edge of the aperture in the container.

7. A slidable closure for a container, such closure comprising a slideprovided with a cover having an oblique surface, a wedge device locatedbetween the slide cover and the outlet aperture of the container, apacking member carried by the wedge member, such wedge device beingengaged by the oblique surface on the slide when the latter is in closedposition and thereby caused to press the packing member against the edgeof the aperture in the container, and means operative by the slide atthe commencement of its opening movement to raise the packing memberfrom the edge of the aperture in the container.

KARL RUETZ.

